Drooping leucothoe
Leucothoe fontanesiana · Ericaceae
A graceful native evergreen with long, arching stems of glossy, pointed leaves that turn bronze-purple in winter, and chains of small white bells in spring.
- Size
- 4 ft tall, 6 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Early May to late May
- Pets
- Toxic (severe)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around drooping leucothoe
The planner designed this bed around drooping leucothoe when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 6, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 513 that suit those conditions, and says below why drooping leucothoe stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Drooping leucothoe × 1, white
- 2 Blue star creeper × 12, blue
- 3 Woodland phlox × 8, lavender
- 4 Northern sea oats × 8, tan
- 5 Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' × 3, white
- 6 Hosta × 4, green leaves
- 7 Golden ragwort × 13, yellow
- 8 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 9 Hardy cyclamen × 7, pink
- 10 Grecian windflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- A classic partner for hosta. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- Part of the bed's structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down. So does northern sea oats.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 4 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to northern sea oats (3½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From early May to late May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With woodland phlox, golden ragwort and Grecian windflower in early May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
- One of two evergreens. They are what the bed has to show from November to March.
Planned as an English border: 11 of the 12 groups (92%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Blue star creeper is planted in four places along the bed, which gives it rhythm. Blue star creeper and woodland phlox finish the front edge.
The planner's own design check: 12 Excellent, 4 Good, 1 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Drooping leucothoe is highly poisonous to people, dogs, cats and horses. Northern sea oats spreads aggressively.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where drooping leucothoe goes in a border
At 4 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
Its arching habit hides the bare legs of rhododendrons and mountain laurels. It needs moist, acid soil and shelter from winter sun and wind.
- Evergreen groundcover under tall shrubs and trees
- With rhododendrons
- Holding shaded banks
What to plant with drooping leucothoe
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Rhododendron 'PJM': in flower together for three weeks, from early May; happy in the same moist soil.
- Christmas fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (18 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about drooping leucothoe
Does drooping leucothoe need sun or shade?
Drooping leucothoe grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light). It is one of the few that also put up with deep shade.
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and a good soak in dry spells.
What zones does drooping leucothoe grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 8. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Above zone 8 it struggles: the zones measure winter cold, but a plant's top zone usually means the summers are too hot or the winters too mild for it to rest.
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does drooping leucothoe flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers early May to late May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 5 | Early May to late May |
|---|---|
| Zone 6 | Late April to mid May |
| Zone 7 | Mid April to early May |
| Zone 8 | Mid April to early May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should drooping leucothoe be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6 ft (180 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 4 ft (120 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many drooping leucothoe plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is drooping leucothoe poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: severe toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts, including the nectar, are highly poisonous if eaten and can affect the heart.
Rated from NC State Extension and the ASPCA. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like drooping leucothoe?
These come closest to doing what drooping leucothoe does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Fothergilla 'Mount Airy': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 12 in taller, 12 in narrower.
- Virginia sweetspire 'Henry's Garnet': the same job in a bed and the same colour; 12 in narrower, flowers early June to early July.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat drooping leucothoe?
Mostly not. NC State lists it as resistant to deer. No plant is proof against a hungry deer in a hard winter, but this one is low on the menu.
What flowers after drooping leucothoe?
Drooping leucothoe is over by late May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Astilbe: from late June to mid July, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Foxglove: from early June to mid July, 4 ft tall.
- Lady's mantle: from late May to early July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does drooping leucothoe look like in winter?
Drooping leucothoe keeps its dark green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is drooping leucothoe good for bees and butterflies?
Drooping leucothoe is visited by pollinators and butterflies.
It is native to the United States.
More Leucothoe
- Drooping leucothoe 'Rainbow' Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow'
In these guides
- Plants for deep shade
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Deer-resistant plants for shade
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Plants for butterflies
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
- Plants for a white garden
Zone guides: Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8
In flower in: May
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 4 ft (120 cm) tall, 6 ft (180 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Early May to late May; hanging bells; white
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; dark green
- Shape
- Arching, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 to 8
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Feeding
- Light, in spring
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Comes from
- South Eastern U.S.A
- Attracts
- Pollinators, butterflies
- Stands up to
- Deer, deep shade, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and ASPCA poison lists. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.